Filing-post lock



Aug. 17, 1926. igs azgz C. T. NANKERVIS FILING POST LOCK Filed Nov. 10.1925 51 F612: a a.

spacing centers may Patented Aug. 17, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES T. NANKERVIS, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

FiLING-ros'r. LOCK.

Application filed November Other purposes of the invention are thefproviding of such a structure that may be easily bound and incorporatedin the filing covers; thatpermits the, quick aligning of postholeswherethe posts areslightly misplaced; and that may be supplied to the tradeknocked down such that the post be determined and fixed upon assembly inthe individual binderies. v I accomplish these and such minor objects asmay be apparent in the following description by the means as illustratedin the accompanying drawing, in whicha Fig. 1 is a perspective view of alooseleaf filing book with a fragment of the cover removed to disclosethe locking tube; Fig. 2, an enlarged side elevation of the base andlocking tubes; Fig. 3, a fragmentary top plan view of the locking tube;Fig. 4, an enlarged vertical section taken on the line 44 in Fig. 3; andFig. 5,a-similar vertical section as in Fig. 4 but with a modified formof locking bar. r

Like characters of reference indicate like parts throughout the severalviews.

As a foundation for my structure, I employ a length of hollow tubing asa support for the filing posts 11, rigidly fixed thereto, such that thetube 10 may be incorporated within the filing base 12 in the usual andwell known manner to permit the posts 11 to project upwardly to receivethe filing sheets 13. V

The locking mechanism proper is carried within the tube 14 which isadapted to be incorporated within the file cover 15 as indicated in Fig.1, such that the posts 11 may pass through the tube 14, diametrically,to permit the cover 15 to raise or lower on the sheets 13 as they may beincreased or decreased.

I insert within the tube 14, the two lockbars 16 spaced apart by theflexible link 17,

10, 1925. Serial No. 68,090.

the link 17 being pivotally secured to near the end of each, bar 16 bythe rivets 18. This I link 17 is preferably made of thin spring steeland in its normal position is straight without bends. V

A screw nut 19 is centrally fixed to the link 17, and the thumb screw 20is passed slidingly through the top wall of the tube 14 andscrew-threadedly through the link 17 and the nut 19, to bring theshoulder 21 of the screw to bear against the top side of the lower wallof the tube '14. The screw has a reduced end portion 22 to. extendthrough the lower wall of the tube 14 and is riveted I over on theouter, under side of the tube, as indicated in Figs. 2, 4, and 5, sothat the screw 20 may be freely turned, but cannot be withdrawn from thetube 14. In shipment, this screw 20 may be left out, to be assembledwhen the file is tobe made up.

As the screw 20 is properly turned,-the nut 19, being fixed to the link17 and so pre vented from turning, will travel upwardly and the fiexiblelink 17 will also be carried upwardly to shorten its effective length,with the result that the lock-bars 16 will be drawn toward each otherasindicated by the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The travel of thebars 16 is limited, however, since each bar 16 is drilled with a hole tomatch normally with the holes through the tube 14 throughiwhichthe posts11 pass, and the bars 16, being provided with a very small clearance,usually not to exceed one sixty-fourth of an inch, willv contact theposts 11 Within the holes with a'pressure dependent upon the extent thelink 17 is shortenedv by raising the nut 19in turning the'screw 20-apressure sufiiciently great to make a locking grip of the bars 16 on theposts 11.

The link 17 may be threaded and the nut 19 carried independently ofthelink, or in some cases be dispensed with. Also the nut 19 may be madein various widths to vary the distance from the central screw 20 towhere the link 17 is flexed over the outlying shoulders of the nut 19,thereby varying the effective horizontal component of motion.

Each bar 16 is provided with a spacing lug 28 on each end, such that asthe link 17 is bent upwardly to shorten it, the bars 16 can not liftupwardly by reason of the lugs 23 contacting the tube wall, and themovement of the bars 16 is thereby confined to no longitudinal movementonly.

Referring to Fig. 5, I show a modified form of the lock-bar 16 whereinthe lugs 23 are used on the outer ends only and omitted from the innerends adjacent the link 17. By using this type of lock bar, the bar 16grips the post 11 by tipping the inner end of each bar 16 upwardly so toreduce the effective diameter of the post hole in each bar 16, wherebythe post 11 is very tightly gripped. It is obvious that a combination ofthe tilting and longitudinal moving bar action may be effected in thismodified form.

To release the posts 11 from the lock-bars 16, the screw 20 is turned inthe reverse direction to lower the nut 19, as indicated by the dashlines in Figs. t and 5, whereupon the bars 16 float freely about theposts 11.

As each bar 16 is pivot-ally secured to the link 17, the bar 16 mayswing laterally within the limits of the tube walls to permit aligningwith the post 11 that may be slight 1y out of the tube axial center lineor bent, as is often the case.

Referring to Fig. 3, the holesthrough the tube 14 and bars 16 to receivethe posts 11 may be drilled to fixed centers in advance, or the holesmay be drilled to meet a different spacing afterwards at any time bymerely drilling through the tube 14 and the bar 16 within as indicatedby the dash lined holes 2%, such drilling being done without having toremove the bars :16 from the tube 14, and the cooperation of the partsis such that the bars 16 are alignedwithout further adjusting.

While I have here shown my invention in the form as now best known tome, and as it is obvious that the structure may be varied withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, I do not desire to belimited to the precise structure as shown, any more than may be requiredby the following claims.

I claim:

1. A file-cover locking membercomprising, a locking tube, lock-barsslidably carried within the tube, a link joining the lockbars, and meansto deform the link whereby the said lock-bars may be drawnlongitudinally toward each other.

2. In combination with filing posts, a filecover lock comprising a tube,lock-bars slidingly carried within the tube, a flexible linkinter-connecting said lock-bars, a screw-nut aflixed to the under. sideof the link, and a link-bending screw screw-threadedly passing throughthe link and the screw nut whereby the link may be deformed to pull thelock-bars toward each other.

3. In combination with filing posts, a filecover lock comprising a tube,lock-bars slidingly carried within the tube, a flexible linkinter-connecting said lock-bars, a screw-nut afixed to the under side ofthe link, and a link-bending screw screw-threadedly passing through thelink and the screw nut, said lock-bars being pivotally secured to theends of the link, and having holes ther-ethrough normally registeringwith the holes through said tube to receive said posts.

4:. A file-cover lock member comprising a tube, a flexible lock-barlink, a lock-bar at tached to each end of the link and slidingly carriedwithin the tube, a spacing lug on the inner end of each lock-bar, aspacing-lug on the outer end of each lock-bar, and a screwscrew-threadedly passing through said link.

5. A file-cover lock member comprising a tube, a flexible lock-bar link,a lock-bar pivotally attached to each end of the link and slidinglycarried within the tube, a spacing lug on the inner end of eachlock-bar, a spacing lug on the outer end of each lockbar, and a screwscrew-threadedly passing through said link.

6. A file cover lock member comprising atube, lock-bars slidinglycarried within the tube, a flexible link interconnecting said lock-bars,a screw carried by the tube and passing through the link, a spacercarried on the screw under said link, and shoulders on said spaceradapted to contact the link at a distance from the screw to establishpoints CHARLES T. NANKERVIS.

